Beyond Connectivity: How Network Intelligence Drives Growth
Smart networks allow retailers to deploy the next big thing in technology—and the one after that—without adding complexity.
Sep 11, 2026 | 2 min read
This interview is brought to you by Mako Networks.
The traditional view is that networking is a utility until something breaks. How has the role of network management changed in the modern convenience store?
Jon Kelly, Chief Revenue Officer, Mako Networks: Historically, network success was measured by a simple question: Is the store connected? If the answer was yes, the network had done its job. Today, that’s not enough.
Leading operators are becoming far more proactive. They’re using network intelligence to automate compliance, simplify vendor management and identify risks before they create disruptions.
Network management is becoming a competitive advantage. Retailers that view networking as a utility are often playing defense. But retailers that view it as a business platform can scale faster, deploy innovation more efficiently and adapt more quickly to changing consumer expectations.
In the next decade, the network won’t simply connect stores. It will determine how quickly retailers can innovate, how effectively they can scale and how much value they can extract from every technology investment they make.
What’s the biggest mistake you see retailers make when modernizing their operations?
Kelly: Many operators modernize one project at a time—maybe they start with digital signage, then invest in a loyalty program or update a payment system. Individually, each investment makes sense. Collectively, they often create a fragmented environment. The result is higher costs, slower deployments, greater operational risk and increased burden on stores and IT teams.
The fastest ROI often comes not from adding another application, but from simplifying the technology stack that’s already in place. Retailers can unlock meaningful savings by consolidating infrastructure, reducing vendor dependencies, standardizing technologies across locations and creating a common platform that supports multiple business initiatives.
This is especially true in the fuel industry, where operators often inherit layers of legacy infrastructure from acquisitions, brand requirements and historical compliance decisions.
The retailers generating the strongest returns are focusing on simplification first. When technology becomes easier to deploy, manage and support, every future investment delivers greater value. Simplicity isn’t just an operational advantage—it’s a financial advantage.
What technology decisions have the biggest impact on long-term scalability?
Kelly: Growth creates complexity. Too often, companies build technology environments that work well at 50 locations but become difficult to manage at 500.
Continue reading “Beyond Connectivity” in the September 2026 issue of NACS Magazine.
